DU TAlîA( DK DF.I.I SIJH 1-A CÔÏK OIÎIKNTAM'; DK SUMATRA. 191 



J'emprunte à 1',, Agricultui-al Dept.'s Report ') les détails sui- 

 vants : 



„ïhe Department's experts estimate that the toljacco cost on 

 „an average of 51 '/^ cents per pound baled and ready for market. 

 „The ordinary tobacco grown in the open fields in Connecticut 

 „brings on an average from 18 to 20 cents per pound. The average 

 „price for the shade grown tobacco was $ 1,20 per pound; the 

 „price varying from $ 2,80 per pound for the best to 25 cents 

 „per pound for some of the mixed bales. The crop that brought 

 „the best price sold for $ 1,63 per pound on the average. 



„The total cost of production was $ 23.579,26 ^) and the total 

 „value was $ 49.255,20, which gave a net profit to the growers of 

 „$ 25.675,94 or 108,8 %. This did not include the cost of land, 

 „barns or warehouses, nor the interest on investment, but included 

 „the whole cost of the shade, the framework of which is expected 

 „to last from 5 to 8 years. The best crop gave a yield of 1020 

 „pounds per acre for 6 acres, to a net profit of s 1022,52 per acre." 



Le total de 40.211 livres de tabac fermenté donna, après triage, 

 71 % de feuilles préservantes, 18 % de feuilles de deuxième et 

 13 % de feuilles de troisième qualité. En moyenne 225 à 250 feuilles 

 préservantes pesaient une livre. 



Cette expérience eut à subir en Amérique une critique des plus 

 vives, parce (ju'on désapprouvait à un point de vue commercial 

 la coopération do l'Etat avec les planteurs de tabac en Connecticut. 

 On y voyait un favoritisme qui ne pouvait être justifié aux yeux du 

 public; témoin le passage suivant que j'emprunte à un des articles 

 de ce genre: „But why should the handful of farmers alone derive 

 „the benefit of the free Government's services? Are the leaf trade 

 „and cigar raanufiicturers and consumers not likewise entitled to 

 „share in them? If by reason of the Government's aid the cost 

 „of a product is lowered, sliould not the consumer have the same 

 „privilege in participating in the aid distributed by the paternal 

 „purse of our Government? For surely there is nothing in our 



') Voir U. S. Tobacco Journal, 6 December 15102, Vol. XLIX, N°. 20 [whole 

 N°. 1384]. 



=>) The total cost of the crop per acre varied from $ 613,42 to $ 849,55, or an 

 average of $657,17, the former cost being for a large area, while the highest 

 cost was for an area of about a quarter of an acre. 



27^== 



